pew research center Archives

New Pew Research Center Poll Finds 61% of American Voters Support Legalizing Marijuana

January 11, 2018January 5, 2018

According to a new Pew Research Center (PRC) survey, more than six in 10 American voters support legalizing marijuana.

The survey, conducted in October and released today, finds that support for legalization has risen 4% from last year (57%), and has nearly doubled since 2000 (31%).

“As in the past, there are wide generational and partisan differences in views of marijuana legalization”, says Abigail Geiger from PRC . “Majorities of Millennials (70%), Gen Xers (66%) and Baby Boomers (56%) say the use of marijuana should be legal. Only among the Silent Generation does a greater share oppose (58%) than favor (35%) marijuana legalization.”

Pew Poll: Only 30% of Cops Believe Cannabis Should be Illegal for All Reasons

January 11, 2017

**A new Pew Research Center poll has found that a minority of police officers in the United States support a full-blown prohibition on cannabis.**

According to the survey of almost 8,000 active-duty police officers; 32% believe that cannabis should be legal for both recreational and medical purposes; an additional 37% believe that it should be legal for medical use only. Just 30% – less than 1 in 3 – believe cannabis should remain illegal for all uses.

By comparison, the survey found 49% of the public to be in support of legalizing medical and recreational cannabis; 35% support legalizing medical cannabis only, with just 15% supporting full prohibition.

New Poll: 57% of U.S. Adults Say Cannabis Should be Legal

October 12, 2016

A large majority of adults in the U.S. say that cannabis should be legal for all uses, according to a new Pew Research Center poll sent to us by press release.

“The share of Americans who favor legalizing the use of marijuana continues to increase, says Abigail Geiger of the Pew Research Center. “Today, 57% of U.S. adults say the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 37% say it should be illegal. A decade ago, opinion on legalizing marijuana was nearly the reverse – just 32% favored legalization, while 60% were opposed.”

According to Geiger; “Young adults have disproportionately driven the shift toward public support of the drug, though support is rising among other generations as well. Millennials – those ages 18 to 35 in 2016 – are more than twice as likely to support legalization of marijuana as they were in 2006 (71% today, up from 34% in 2006), and are significantly more likely to support legalization than other generations.”

CBS News Poll: 53% of Americans Support Legalizing Recreational Cannabis, 84% Support Legalizing Medical Cannabis

April 26, 2015April 23, 2015

Just a week after a Pew Research Center poll found that 53% of Americans support legalizing recreational cannabis, a new CBS News poll has came to the same conclusion.

53% of respondents in the survey answered “Yes” to the question “Should marijuana use be legal?” 43% stated that they believe cannabis use should not be legal.

These numbers mark the highest level of support ever recorded by a CBS News poll for legalizing cannabis, which began asking the question over 35 years ago in 1979.

Federal Respect State Cannabis Laws Act Filed in U.S. Congress

April 23, 2015

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would prohibit the government from prosecuting individuals or businesses for cannabis-related crimes if they’re in compliance with their state’s cannabis laws.

The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2015 (House Resolution 1940) was introduced Wednesday with Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) as the primary sponsor. Five other Republicans, and six Democrats, have signed on as cosponsors of the bill.

Poll: 53% of Americans Support Legalizing Cannabis

April 14, 2015

A chart showing the rapidly increasing support for legalization in the U.S.

A new Pew Research Center poll has found that a majority of those in the United States support legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes.

According to the poll, 53% of Americans support legalizing cannabis, with 44% opposed. As recently as 2006, just 32% supported cannabis legalization, while nearly twice as many (60%) were opposed.

“Millennials (currently 18-34) have been in the forefront of this change: 68% favor legalizing marijuana use, by far the highest percentage of any age cohort”, according to a Tuesday press release. “But across all generations –except for the Silent Generation (ages 70-87) – support for legalization has risen sharply over the past decade.”

New Poll: 58% of Americans Support Legalizing Cannabis

September 4, 2014September 3, 2014

A new survey of over 450,000 Americans, conducted by the polling firm CivicScience, has found that a strong majority of Americans are in favor of legalizing cannabis. Of those polled, 58% stated they support cannabis legalization, with just 39% opposed, and 7% undecided.

The survey asked the following question; “Would you support or oppose a law in your state that would legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana like alcohol?”

Of those in support, 39% said they’re “strongly” in support, with 19% saying they’re “somewhat” in support. Of those opposed, 29% “strongly” oppose the move, and 6% “somewhat” oppose the move.

New Poll: 54% of Americans Support Legalizing Cannabis, 75% Believe it to be Inevitable

August 24, 2014April 2, 2014

A survey released today by the Pew Research Center has found that regardless of their personal views on the matter, 75% of those in the United States believe cannabis legalization to be inevitable. According to the survey, 54% of Americans support the move to legalize cannabis.

According to results of the poll, 67% of those in America support treatment over incarceration for the use of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. 76% favor less penalties than are currently applied.